Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Book: The Secret Of The Gothick God Of Darkness by Stephen Flowers

There is a Secret God, a Hidden God, who dwells in a spiralling tower fortress and who has guided and overseen our Development from time immemorial--and who has remained concealed but very close to us awaiting the "future" time of reawakening. The time of the re-awakening is near. Already we have heard the distant claps of thunder which signal the coming storm.

The legacy of the Dark Gothick God is one which can guide those chosen by him to a state of development wherein they have attained a permanent (immortal) Consciousness which is free to act or not act in the material universe as it desires. This consciousness becomes privy to all manner of secrets of life and death and life in death. The price for this attainment is contained in the cost of attaining it-- for one who has been so chosen there can be no rest, no respite from the Quest which is, and remains, the Eternal Work.

Because the way in which knowledge of this Dark Gothick God is passed from generation to generation contradicts the favored methods of the so-called "major religions" of the world--the religions of the "book"--Judaism, Christianity and Islam--this knowledge and its methods have been forbidden and made increasingly tabu for all of the centuries since the cunning ideological conversion of Europe by Christianity.

Books can be burned, religious leaders can be killed--but the blood endures. (from Stephen E. Flowers)

Monday, December 25, 2006

1.
Facing myself as I always do.
It is time for soul searching,
truth revealing.
Living with stigma.
Facing myself as I always do.
Living with stigma.
I am brain damaged. I have been since birth.
Living with stigma.
Facing myself as I always do.
Scorn, pity, Understandingthe know nothing knowing look.
As soon as I reveal the fact
people assume they know motives
for all I do or say (and still I believe them)
. Living with stigma.
Facing myself as I always do.
Living with stigma.
Brain damaged.

2.
I am a madman on the path
of spirtual development.
I can afford neither optimism
nor pessimism. I can afford neither
the either, or, the or.
The facts of subatomic particle physics
and cosmology reveal as much
as Joshu's "Mu."
But, I am a madman. And madmen
often know the difference
between right and wrong,
but don't care.

3.
What is the difference between one drug
and another? Thorazine, ritlin,
marijuana, peyote.
The psychotropic effects alter
conscious perception, unconscious reaction.
What is the difference between
ingested euphoria, or at least quietude,
and a series of biophysical
changes in hormone producing glands?
Schizophrenics produce their own
chemicals that alter
conscious perception, unconscious reaction.
It is much cheaper.
Don Juan, Doctor Feelgood, Joseph Campbell, Aldous Huxley.
from reality (the underlying principle
is there is nothing there)
to unordinary reality, to enforced return
to reality (still nothing there) to the total
divorce from reality.
All this has been likened to the soul's
journey to perfection, to enlightenment.
Madman, fool, holy man.
"Is the artist all that different from the mad?"
"Is religious experience all that different
from madness?"
Politics would have us believe so.
This is a world where faith has replaced
direct experience.
And we are taught that it is natural
to hate one's mother, love one's father,
and that to be mature is to break away
from the mother and father.
According to whose prceptions?
The only constant is the speed of light.
I can never be sure of where you are
when you are doing something.
You can never be sure of what I am doing
when I'm someplace.
Victimized and victimizer.
Observer and observed.
We study each other.
I am told that is natural
for a patient to feel hostile
to the analyst. Are you so
sure of your reality?
Which of us will eventually
appear the madder?
Observer and the observed
change roles so rapidly, so subtly,
so often. Who is projecting unto whom?
What is the difference between
one perceiver and another?

4.
Ambiguity. My heart misgives me,
my conscious thoughts deny my heart.
Ambiguity. The analytical at war
with intuition.
Ambiguity. The observer and the observed.
My heart misgives me,
my conscious thoughts deny my heart.
I digress into a diatribe
about how society treats the brain damaged.
Ambiguity. The clinical and the pastoral.
My greatest fear is to one day
look up and have people staring at me
because I did something weird.
My heart misgives me,
my conscious thoughts deny my heart.

5.
The lotus blossom opens
and explodes into fantastic light.
I am a madman on the path
of spiritual development.
What do I see?
What do I believe I see?
The colors of the chakras,
penis and vulva.
How can I achieve Nirvana
when my brain dysfunctions periodically?
The lotus blossom opens
and explodes into fantastic light.
I am dizzy from contemplating
the working of infinity.
Thesis, antithesis, synthesis.
Unbalance and balance.
My heart and my brain.
If heart is guided by brain,
then does not my heart also
dysfunction periodically?
If brain is guided by heart,
then am I truly brain damaged?
If neither rules the other,
then how am I to reconcile the conflict
and have them consult one another?
No part is greater than the whole.
But, for the whole to function
don't all the parts have to be working properly?
Alternate edition theory makes
relating to the real difficult.
Is this me, or another me I'm observing?
Have I switched places and Consciousness,
or formed an alliance and psychic bond?
The lotus blossom opens
and explodes into fantastic light.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

This is the tail of Santa Paws,
Who in later years got called Santa Claus,
For those in the know; and just plain fact,
Santa Paws, was a big fluffy cat.
This tale got started in the far past,
And some sages say, it was the Goddess Bast,
And into this role, she got worthily cast.

She was kind to catfolk most of the year,
But one day out of all, she was held very dear,
By kittens and pussies, and even old Toms.

Even in Egypt, so far away,
So, in the north the winter held sway,
Was born a kitten, in a stable, in the hay,
And to celebrate this Wondrous Ad-vent,
The Goddess With Some In-tent,
A disguise, she did In-vent,
That of a big fluffy cat, called Santa Paws.

So awakening in the dawning,
With kittens and cats still yawning,
And with the growing light,
Their eyes met a wondrous sight,
In a gift tied with red ribbon,
Was a bell, some milk, and some mice,
Which all the young kittens, thought was nice.

So if I may be as bold, this tail is now told,
Of what really happened, long ago in the past,
All thanks, to the Goddess BAST.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Book: Legends Of The Gods by Ea Wallis Budge

The welcome which has been accorded to the volumes of this Series, and the fact that some of them have passed into second and third editions, suggest that these little books have been found useful by beginners in Egyptology and others. Hitherto the object of them has been to supply information about the Religion, Magic, Language, and History of the Ancient Egyptians, and to provide editions of the original texts from which such information was derived. There are, however, many branches of Egyptology which need treatment in a similar manner in this Series, and it has been suggested in many quarters that the time has now arrived when the publication of a series of groups of texts illustrating Egyptian Literature in general might well be begun. Seeing that nothing is known about the authors of Egyptian works, not even their names, it is impossible to write a History of Egyptian Literature in the ordinary sense of the word. The only thing to be done is to print the actual works in the best and most complete form possible, with translations, and then to put them in the hands of the reader and leave them to his judgment.

The Egyptian texts, whether the originals be written in hieroglyphic or hieratic characters, are here printed in hieroglyphic type, and are arranged with English translations, page for page. They are printed as they are written in the Original Documents, i.e., the words are not divided. The beginner will find the practice of dividing the words for himself most useful in acquiring facility of reading and Understanding the language. The translations are as literal as can reasonably be expected, and, as a whole, I believe that they mean what the original writers intended to say. In the case of passages where the text is corrupt, and readings are mixed, or where very rare words occur, or where words are omitted, the renderings given claim to be nothing more than suggestions as to their meanings. It must be remembered that the exact meanings of many Egyptian words have still to be ascertained, and that the ancient Egyptian scribes were as much puzzled as we are by some of the texts which they copied, and that owing to carelessness, ignorance, or weariness, or all three, they made blunders which the modern student is unable to correct. In the Introduction will be found brief descriptions of the contents of the Egyptian texts, in which their general bearing and importance are indicated, and references given to authoritative editions of texts and translations.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Book: Absinthe The Green Goddess by Aleister Crowley

An essay composed in 1918 in the legendary Old Absinthe House in New Orleans, first published in The International. In this Essay Crowley extols the inspirational virtues of this mildly Hallucinogenic green liqueur, and speaks out against the rising tide of prohibitionism that was sweeping the country as the first U.S. "war on drugs" began.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Book: The Younger Edda Also Called Snorre Edda Or The Prose Edda by Rasmus Anderson

SNORRE'S EDDA, OR THE PROSE EDDA. AN English Version OF THE FOREWARD; THE FOOLING OF GYLFE, THE AFTERWORD; BRAGE'S TALK, THE AFTERWORD TO BRAGE'S TALK, AND THE IMPORTANT PASSAGES IN THE POETICAL DICTION (SKALDSKAPARMAL) WITH AN INTRODUCTION, NOTES, VOCABULARY, AND INDEX.

All the poems quoted in the Younger Edda have in this edition been traced back to their sources in the Elder Edda and elsewhere. Where the notes seem to the reader insufficient, we must refer him to our Norse Mythology, where he will, we trust, find much of the additional information he may desire. Well aware that our work has many imperfections, and begging our readers to deal generously with our shortcomings, we send the book out into the world with the hope that it may aid some young son or daughter of Odin to find his way to the fountains of Urd and Mimir and to Idun's rejuvenating apples. The son must not squander, but husband wisely, what his father has accumulated. The race must cherish and hold fast and add to the thought that the past has bequeathed to it. Thus does it grow greater and richer with each new generation. The past is the mirror that reflects the future. (R. B. ANDERSON)

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Book: Gods Of The Heaten Way A Brief Guide by The Troth

The Troth is one of several international organizations that promote the ancient religion of the Northlands, known as Asatru, Heathenry, and by other names. We are incorporated as a non-profit religious corporation in the state of Texas, and are recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt religious organization.

The Troth publishes a quarterly magazine, Idunna, along with other writings on Heathen belief and practice. We serve as a networking organization for individuals and kindreds, and we try to assist our members to form local groups to practice our religion and make it more widely available. Once a year, the Troth sponsors a major gathering at which members and interested folks conduct workshops and ceremonies, and discuss and demonstrate their many skills and practices. The Troth also conducts a certification program for clergy, incorporating training in lore, theology, ritual, and counseling.

The Troth believes that the Gods call whom they will—regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation. To hear their call is a joy, an honor, and also a duty. If you hear that call, and you are willing to live by our values and honor our Gods, then we invite you to take your place among friends and kin, and bring new honor and strength to our ancient Heathen faith.

Dancing partners,
You and I.
With me, in me
I am you, you are me.
Together as one,
Yet separate, too.
Dance we now
The Power dances.

Awaken now
All Spirit Beings,
To dance the dances
With your human kin.

Dance the Cycles
Of Life and Death,
Hope and Fear,
Good and Evil.
Dance the Cycles,
Now and Again.
Lowerworld, Upperworld,
Journeying now
and forevermore.
Of Time and Space
All is Once,
There is none.
Dance the dances
Again and again.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

'Twas the night before Yule, and all through the Coven,
The cookies were baked and removed from the oven.
The bayberry candles were lit on the table,
The altar was wrapped in a new cloth of sable.
The children were nestled, all snug in their beds,
While visions of Yuletime danced in their heads.
Their stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that some presents soon would be there!
With Rocker in his new robe, and I in mine,
We were asking our Goddess her blessing divine.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from our Circle to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, tripping over my sash,
My eyes were a-glamoured with a bright silver flash.
The moon on the breasts of the Goddess and God
Drew my eyes to behold the blessed Circle they trod.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the manifestations of all those we hold Dear.
The Physical forms of those whom we pray to,
Even Saint Nick, and his miniature sleigh, too!
Jehovah, Mohammet, Shiva, Hera and Thor.
Zeus, Freya, Brahma, and many, many more.
All the spiritual Entities who'd ever been mentioned.
Even some, like dear Loki, who sowed seeds of dissension.
They greeted eah other with smile, warm and sweet.
Then, forming a Circle, they all took a seat.
With multiple Voices all joined as One,
The Corners were Called. And, when that was done
The Chalice was passed from Hand to Hand.
Then, a blanket of silence enfolded the land.
A crystal clear Voice began to hold sway.
Which Deity spoke? I could not say.
But, clearly, I heard all the love in that Voice.
It caused my tired heart to take flight and rejoice.
"Our Children, it seems, have missed the whole point.
"We now join Together, their hearts to anoint.
"Pour all of Our love O'er their hearts of stone.
"Let them see that together they're never alone!
"Show them it matters not which of Us that they choose.
"Their sad hate and mistrust cause each of Us to lose!"
As I stood there transfixed, I could suddenly see
If we all stand as one, what a world this could be!
Put ALL of our differences well behind us.
Let the love of the Gods enfold and remind us.
We ARE all the same,though varied our skins.
We all dream the same dreams, we all sin the same sins.
With a look of enlightenment etched on my face,
I beheld all the Gods in Their glory and grace!
They all bowed Their heads then said"So mote it be!"
They all smiled at each Other bestowing winks on me.
One by One they disappeared from my sight.
Just the Goddess and God were left in the light.
As slowly They twinkled, fading by degree,
"Happy Yuletide to all!!
Blessed be times three!"

~Written by Mary, a.k.a. Wandering Poet, a.k.a.littlebit~ Permission to reprint granted to Lady of the Earth by the author

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

After performing my last few rituals without casting a circle or having much buildup at all, I have begun to realize the importance of doing it--less I think for creating sacred space in the physical plane--as I believe all the world is automatically sacred space--but more for creating sacred space in your own mind, body and spirit--to give you a bit of a running start before making the leap into the sacred work. In that vein I offer here a Hellenic circle casting. Enjoy!

Casting the Circle:

* Gather all objects and implements necessary for the ritual or magic that is to be performed and lay them on the altar according to the plan shown in this book.
* With the besom, sweep an area large enough to lie down and stretch out in. Visualize all negativity being removed from the space, leaving the area you are to use for your circle clean, pure, and glowing.
* Light the Hestia candle or lamp which is placed at the center of the altar

Daughter of Rhea, Venerable Guardian of the Unwearying Flame,
this supplicant come before you now is yours-
-a mystic much blessed and holy.
The Gods have fixed their dwelling place in you,
strong, stable basis of the mortal race,
many-formed, eternal, laughing, blessed, lovely Queen, ever Scarlet One.
Accept these rites,
accord to each of us our just desires, gentle health, and needful goodness.
Hail Hestia!

* Place elemental representations at each cardinal point of the circle. At north, a bowl of salt; at east, a censer with lit incense; at south, a lit red candle; and at west, a bowl of water.
* Turn to the east, to the incense, and touch the point of the athame to it,

By the power my beloved Theoi, the Spirits of Nature, my ancestors and myself,
I bless this incense. Esto!

* Repeat this blessing for all four elemental representations, moving from one to another in a clockwise direction.
* Stand facing east, athame at waist level, point facing out. Turn to the right and create the circle by walking around its perimeter and saying:

Here is the boundary of this sacred circle.
Naught but light shall enter herein,
naught but light shall emerge from within.
By the power of my beloved Theoi, the Spirits of Nature,
My ancestors and myself, Esto!

* Having returned to the east point, take up the incense and cense the perimeter of the circle, walking deosil and returning the censor to its place.
* Turn to the south and walk the candle around the circle deosil, then the water, and finally the bowl of salt, sprinkling just a bit around the perimeter. Sense the purifying of the circle, sense the creation of energy and sacred space.
* Standing at the east point of the circle and facing east, hold your hands up to the heavens and say:

Hail and welcome spirits of Air,
Chief among you Zephyros,
sweet West Wind who grants rest to weary labor,?A scent of grass and gentle song,?Oh vernal Wind, You bring to the delighted ships,?Impelled by You through the profound Sea, ?perusing with prosperous Fate Their destined course,?Zephyrs, unseen, formed from Air with wings of light,?With blameless breath regard Your supplicant's prayer.
I call upon you now
and ask you to attend this circle,
to give to it of your light and will,
to witness, to protect, and to consecrate
the work done herein.
Charge it by your power I pray.
Esto!

* Turn to the south, hold your hands up to the heavens and say:

Hail and welcome spirits of fire
Chief among you the Primal Fire.
O Primal Fire, ascend to us and rule the sky.?Aethereal Fire, radiant heat that inspires life,?Light Bearer, Power of Stars, ?Cause now the blooming of the iris and the rose,?And to the grain be kind,?Hear our prayer of supplication,?And be thou ever innocent, serene, and gentle to our Land.
call you now
and ask you to attend this circle,
to give to it of your light and will,
to witness, to protect, and to consecrate
the work done herein.
Charge it by your power I pray.
Esto!

* Turn to the west, hold your hands up to the heavens and say:

Hail and welcome spirits of water,
Chief among you Leucothea
Powerful Goddess in the mighty deeps,
?the profound sea Your home,
?Reveling in the waves.
Guardian of mankind who delivers ships from the fury of the storm ?
when all is lost and strength is gone,?
When tempests overwhelm the mariner with rushing waters,?
Your heart is touched with pity,?
And You hear the supplicant's prayer,?
Sparing the lives of those who run upon the sea.
Be present Goddess, and bring prosperity to the ships,
?defend Your mystics upon the stormy oceans,?
And conduct them safely to their destined end.
I call you now
and ask you to attend this circle,
to give to it of your light and will,
to witness, to protect, and to consecrate
the work done herein.
Charge it by your power I pray.
Esto!

* Turn to the north, hold your hands up to the heavens and say:

Hail and welcome spirits of Earth,
Chief among you Gaia
Source of Gods and Mortals,
All-Fertile, All-Destroying Mother of All,?
Who brings forth the bounteous fruits and flowers,?
All variety, Maiden who anchors the eternal world in our own,?
Immortal, Blessed, crowned with every grace,?
Deep bosomed Earth, sweet plains and fields fragrant grasses in the nurturing rains,?
Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine,
?Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of Your child,?
And make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care,
with the fertile seasons Your handmaidens,
?Draw near, and bless your supplicant.
I call you now
and ask you to attend this circle,
to give to it of your light and will,
to witness, to protect, and to consecrate
the work done herein.
Charge it by your power I pray.
Esto!

* Turn clockwise until you are standing facing the altar. Hold your hands up to the Heavens and say (You may replace this general invocation with one specific to the deities of the ritual):

I call to the Theoi, all the Goddesses and Gods!
Eos, Helios, and Silver Selene,
all the Powers of the shining sky.
Thetis, Triton, and Amphitrite Queen,
all the Powers of the salty seas,
Khloris, Ploutous, and the Horai of Time,
all the Powers of the growing world.
To the Khthonioi who rule below:
Hekate, Persephone, and the Lord of the Dead.
To the Titanes who stood with Order:
Themis, Leto, and Mother Rhea.
To the Apotheothenai whose deeds won divinity:
Heracles, Asklepios, and Beloved Ariadne.
And to the Olympians, the Greatest of all:
Royal Hera, Heaven’s Queen; Goddess of Sovereignty;
Protectress of Women and Blesser of Marriage,
Lord Poseidon, ruler of the seas,
Earthshaker, Horse Tender, Securer of Safe Voyage,
Rich-haired Demeter, Goddess of Grain; Nourishing, Bountiful;
Sender of Gifts and Bringer of Seasons,
Golden Aphrodite, Ruler of Night;
Shapely, Heavenly Goddess of love and fertility;
Mistress of passion and needful desire; Lover of laughter and festivity,
Brazen Ares, Spear-Wielding, Shield-Piercing Destroyer;
Bloody, Mighty, Courageous God of Battles,
Beautiful Artemis, Untamed Huntress, Queen of the Beasts, Warrior of the Wilds; Goddess of Girlhood and Leader of the Dance, Helper in Childbirth,
Shining Apollon, Leader of the Muses;
Far-shooting, Far-seeing God of Oracles;
Brilliant Healer and Protector of Youths,
Grey-Eyed Athene, Maiden of War and Wise counsel,
Defender of Cities; Weaver, Worker and Goddess of Industry,
Renowned Hephaistos, Master of Fire and Shaper of Metals,
Resourceful, Ingenious God of many Crafts,
Glorious Hermes, Divine Messenger and Guide of Souls,
Eloquent, Crafty, God of Travel and Trade;
Patron of Athletes; Protector of Herds and Flocks,
Ivy-Crowned Dionysos, Lord of the Vine,
Frenzied and Howling, Twice-born Giver of ecstasy, release, and primal catharsis,
God of Indestructible life,
Beloved Hestia, Keeper of the Hearth, Mistress of the Flame of family and sacrifice; Sacred center of home and community—Receiver of offerings both first and last.
To all the Theoi, Great Goddesses and Gods, Deathless Blessed Ones.
Theoi, I call you now
and ask you to attend this circle,
to give to it of your light and will,
to witness, to protect, and to consecrate
the work done herein.
Charge it by your power I pray.
Esto!

* The circle is now cast, consecrated, empowered, and sealed.

Releasing the Circle:

* Once the rite is ended, face east, hold your hands up and say:

Hail and farewell spirits of air
and beloved Zephyros
I thank you for your presence here.
Go in power and in peace,
And know that you are always welcome here.

* Repeat this formula for each cardinal point, substituting the appropriate names and directions.
* Turn clockwise until you face the altar. Hold you hands up to the heavens and say:

Hail and farewell
Beloved Theoi all.
I thank you for your presence here.
Go in power and in peace,
And know that you are always welcome here.
Esto!

* Take up the athame. Stand at the east point and, holding the athame at waist level, pierce the wall of the circle with its blade. Move deosil around the circle visualizing its power being sucked back into the knife. Literally pull if back into the blade and handle.
* When you arrive at the east again, the circle is no more. Stand at the center of what was your circle and say:

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Hail Mary Magdalene, the Lord has wed thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb and Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of Kings,
give aid to us seekers now and in the hour of our need.

Saturday, September 9, 2006

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
-William Blake
———————————————————
This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me,
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.

Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!
-Emily Dickinson
———————————————————
I died for beauty but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?
“For beauty,” I replied.
“And I for truth, the two are one;
We brethren are,” he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.
-Emily Dickinson
——————————————————-
“Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
-Robert Frost
——————————————————-
“When We Two Parted”

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted,
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
Sank chill on my brow—
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o’er me—
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well:—
Long, long shall I rue thee
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met—
In silence I grieve
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?—
With silence and tears.
-Lord Byron

Monday, August 7, 2006

I invoke Ancient Powers of The Star
The Powers of Five
The Spiral Powers
The Powers of Earth
I invoke the Ancient Powers of Life
Star in the Circle
In the Iron Circle
Quaint, ancient symbol
So ancient, primordial and timeless
Dark symbol of life
On planets bearing life
Deep in DNA
Deeply branded in the Heart of our Earth
Touchstone of Wisdom
Of Ancient Knowledge, NOW,
Living in the stars
I call out through the Circled Iron Star
For my Star Power
Out through the Galaxies
Claiming Dark Powers

Saturday, August 5, 2006

Book: The Phoenix And The Dragon Poems Of The Alchemical Transformation by Adam Byrn Tritt

The Phoenix and the Dragon: Poems of the Alchemical Transformation is the latest collection from award-winning poet, humorist, activist, and educator Adam Byrn Tritt, and it may be his most personal and compelling work yet. Tritt's previous books include Tellstones: Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition, and the Gainesville Community Haggada. He also has several credits as a screenwriter and a playwright. While Tritt's poetry and essays have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, The Phoenix and the Dragon is his first collection with a cohesive theme: transformation. "Alchemy," says Tritt, "is the art of transformation. It's about taking something of little intrinsic worth and changing it into something of tremendous value--changing lead into gold, for example. When you write poetry, you take Experiences common to all people--small, everyday occurrances--and you distill them into their essence." Tritt, who won both the 2006 EPPIE Award for Poetry in an Anthology and the Book Club of South Florida Poetry Prize and is listed in Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, and Poets, has also been a social worker and a middle school teacher. He is equally at home speaking in lecture halls, giving public readings in bookstores, and visiting elementary school classrooms, where he can be found surrounded by children begging him to read his story Bud the Spud just one more time. In 1995 he was an awarded an honorary doctorate for his work in Religious Tolerance and for the creation of TurningPoint, a program providing alternative healthcare for low-income individuals.

Adam's poems are wonderful, magical and mystical...signposts for everyone on the journey to full Consciousness. And that is all of us, for all who love connecting with spiritual truths which electrify one's being. It is such a joy to remember we can transform our base metal into the gold of full consciousness, full awareness, the joy of Being. And that is what Adam's poems do for us. If we are open and ready. Here is a chance to be part of the New Earth, the new consciousness of Being, of joyous living.

With the magic of transformation Adam lovingly guides us from Birth through Growth, Dissolution, Death and then Rebirth. Our lives make sense with these clear and honest poems, what a joy to be the light. From his early erector set that he needed to build angels through creating sacred places in his life with his children, he touches us deeply with these images. With his son Alek he shares henna tatoos of the Phoenix Alek wanted...and the Dragon Adam endured as the "cheap myth" he couldn't wait "to fade, to crawl off, leave," but which kept "murmuring, unremitting, the price of myths."

And then through loss and death of loved ones to Rebirth, with these alchemical transformations we find what is sought, the Spiritual journey we all travel. How can we not dance with joy reading these poems of Adam Byrn Tritt! How can we not give thanks for these gifts of life, of Being.

Monday, July 24, 2006

I have a tale, all grim forbode
of one who sought the night.
He mounted, then in darkness rode
to work upon the height.
Control and power over all,
the essence of his quest.
The people he would hold in thrall.
Ill omen was his crest.
He found a cliff beside the sea.
A glowing circle cast,
With Magic burnt the Sacred Tree
and drawing sword, stood fast.
The ocean swelled, and gale winds cried-
a storm of ice and chill.
Bright lightnings slashed and burned the sky
imposed by dark'ning will.
A gateway through the Other World
was opened by his hand,
For from the clouds a funnel swirled
and Bifrost's road did stand.
A raucous army then came down
and rode upon that coast.
Weird hoofbeats rang upon the ground
from steeds who were as ghosts.
Just from the Hunt they had returned
to challenge fox, and deer.
And from the leader, one eye burned
and sighted down his spear.
'What magus honors not my name?',
a booming voice then cried.
'What fool does play this ill wrought game?
Best answer quick - or die.'
'My title matters not, O Lord.',
the sly tongued one did speak.
'We share the spirit of the sword-
your wisdom I would seek.'
'My secrets will I gladly give
to all who share my way-
but test ye must, to die or live-
one chance to go or stay.'
'Though death is not the thing I crave,
your Questions will I bear.
And favour lacking, to the grave
and thralldom will I swear.'
'But I am learn'ed, wise and strong
so if your test surpassed
you must then swear before your throng
your power you will pass.'
The Hunt Lord scowled, and it was done,
then said with frosty breath:
'Unto me you will answer one-
what purpose does serve death?'
'My foes have often met their end.
I glory in the kill.
My way will use the death to bend
the people to my will.'
The Goddess Freyja then impart:
'What say you of the dove?
What use to you are things of heart?
Regard ye what of love?'
'I scorn all love, I favour wrath,
tis best left for the meek.
And peaceful ways cross not my path,
tis only for the weak.'
'War is my art, so answer this:',
spoke grim one handed Tyr.
'Affairs of state, when go amiss-
is honor in your sphere?'
'All honor I return to friends
and other Lords deserved.
I say again, foes meet their ends
when wrath has been incurred.'
'Unto us now, one more reply
before you hear our will.
of spells and power - magic high,
of what does this fulfill?
'To honor you, I would enshrine,
the world then I would take.
To snare, all shiftless peoples bind
with forces I would wake.'
All Asgard's dwellers, looking grim,
then nodded to this king.
Triumphant mein came over him-
his darkened soul did ring.
But Odin set his rage filled face-
the mages blood ran cold.
'Ye think that thou hast won our grace
with naked evil bold?'
'All death is but the way to birth
and peace is men's desire.
Our way is to renew the Earth-
despoiling not in ire.'
'This and the magics meant to heal
and guide on wisdom's path.
So this is why the powers wield-
you have incurred our wrath.'
'But go in sorrow - life we give,
along with this one curse-
That ever long as you shall live
Your Life now is reversed.'
'Harm with your magic, and you die
a death forever long.
Hurt with your guile, and you shall cry-
your way is twisted, wrong.'
They rode like leaves upon the wind.
Ensorcelled mage grew mad.
He wanders - never trust or friends.
Just woe, dark soul, nomad.
Pay heed, all seekers on the path
to shadow's knowledge earned.
To evil go, you gain the wrath
of Powers great and stern.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Book: Magic Science And Religion And Other Essays by Bronislaw Malinowski

Three famous Malinowski essays! Malinowski, one of the all-time great anthropologists of the world, had a talent for bringing together in single comprehension the warm reality of human Living With the cool abstractions of science. His pages have become an almost indispensable link between the knowing of exotic and remote people with Theoretical knowledge about humankind. An important collection of three of his most famous essays, Magic, Science and Religion offers readers a set of concepts about religion, magic, science, rite and myth in the course of forming vivid impressions and understandings of the Trobrianders of New Guinea.

The title essay was probably the single most influential article written by Bronislaw Malinowski. This 1992 reprint edition from Waveland Press is most welcome. The ideas in this essay have become so commonplace in Anthropology that nobody seems to find it necessary to refer back to their original source in Malinowski. The essay itself is lively and still sounds fresh some three-quarters of a century after it was written. Malinowski is convincing when he points to ways that magic, science, and religion are closely related. After reading his insights, it isn't possible to consider that any one of them should always be given priority over the other two in our ways of thinking about the universe. Read this book and you'll learn some of the reasons why people try to solve their problems by choosing magic, science, or religion according to the specific circumstances in which they find themselves.

Michael W. Young's biography (2004)of Bronislaw Malinowski, with the Malinowski family's blessing and support, documents the anthropologist's personal and professional journey through life. Young's writing style positions, with a seemingly intended purpose, the reader in a distant, objective armchair pose while detailing the aspects of Malinowski's life. Considering the access Young had,the biography appears well-researched, and was fascinating to explore.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Book: Skill Of The Adoption Of The Godly Forms by Aleister Crowley

The adoption of Godly Forms is the extremely important element of different Magic Rituals, in which are used invokatsii. Assuming the form of the corresponding god or godly means, magician connects his personal Consciousness with the aspect of his highest (godly genius) harmonious, with respect to nature of the called forces now magic operation is accomplished no longer only force of the personal will of magician, but also by power and by the authority of the deity, with whom identifies himself the magician.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Book: Officina Magica Essays On The Practice Of Magic In Antiquity by Shaul Shaked

This book discusses various aspects of the theory and practice of magic in antique cultures around the Mediterranean. While some of its contributors address problems of methodology of research into magic and the definition of magic, others deal with specific historical and textual issues. Although a major focus is on Jewish texts ranging From Antiquity to the medieval period, the book also includes studies of several Magical Texts from ancient Mesopotamia and their impact on later magical practice, and studies of Greek and Zoroastrian texts and artifacts. The approaches thus range from the examination of textual or visual sources to theoretical issues such as the history of research and the definition of magic.

Shaul Shaked, Ph.D. (1964) in Iranian languages, University of London, is Professor emeritus in Iranian Studies and Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has published several books on Zoroastrianism, Judaeo-Persian, and Aramaic Magic, including Magic Spells and Formulae: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity (1993, with J. Naveh). He received the Israel Prize for Linguistics in 2000.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

And when I die, weep not for me
But place my ashes in the soil
And plant over me a fine, young tree
As it grows, it will be nourished by me
I shall be part of it.
The grass that grows,
the flowers that bloom,
Bee, birds and Animals shall make
their nests Within my arms
And nourish themselves upon my flesh
I shall become part of them also
And I shall never die
For I will be part
of all living, growing Things - Eternally.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Book: From The Wizard Of Oz To Wicked Trajectory Of American Myth by Alissa Burger

The Wizard of Oz story has been omnipresent in American popular culture since the first publication of L. Frank Baum’s children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz at the dawn of the twentieth century. Ever since, filmmakers, authors, and theatre producers have continued to return to Oz over and over again. However, while literally hundreds of adaptations of the Wizard of Oz story abound, a handful of transformations are particularly significant in exploring discourses of American Myth and culture: L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900); MGM’s classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939); Sidney Lumet’s film The Wiz (1978); Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995); and Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s Broadway musical Wicked (2003).

This project critiques theories of fixed or prescriptive American myth, instead developing a theory of American myth as active, performative and even, at times, participatory, achieved through discussion of the fluidity of text and performance, built on Diana Taylor’s theory of the archive and the repertoire. By approaching text and performance as fluid rather than fixed, this dissertation facilitates an interdisciplinary consideration of these works, bringing children’s literature, film, popular fiction, theatre, and music together in a theoretically multifaceted approach to the Wizard of Oz narrative, its many transformations, and its lasting significance within American culture. In the process of addressing these myths, this dissertation explores themes consistent within these five versions of the Wizard of Oz narrative, looking at the shifting significance and Representations of gender, race, home, and magic in these works. These themes have been central to establishing the national identity of the citizen throughout American history; as such, their popular representations tend to reflect the values espoused by the surrounding culture at the time of creation. Therefore, a close examination of the recurring themes in these five versions of the Wizard of Oz story provides significant insight into the negotiation of these issues, their representations, and their corresponding moments in American culture.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Fiery Lady,
We see Thy brightness
In the flickering flames
And rejoice in the reassurance of Thy presence.
We hear Thy voice
In the cracking roar of a Sabbat bonfire,
And give thanks
For the awesome intensity
Of it's unquenchable burning.
We smell Thy spiraling aroma
As flaming fingers
Consume our offerings of fragrant resins,
Transforming them
Into the Incense of our adoration.
We feel Thy warmth
By a Winter's hearthside blaze,
And are comforted
By it's dancing heat.
We taste Thy magick
In simmered stews from cauldrons
Over Kitchen fires
And are satisfied with fullness.
We stand before Thee
In awe of these Physical senses
Which convey to us
Thy presence in the world!

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Book: Hesiod The Homeric Hymns And Homerica by Hugh Evelyn White

This publication contains translations of the following works: Hesiod: Works and Days, The Theogony, fragments of The Catalogues of Women and the Eoiae, The Shield of Heracles (attributed to Hesiod), and fragments of various works attributed to Hesiod. Homer: The Homeric Hymns, The Epigrams of Homer” (both attributed to Homer). Various: Fragments of the Epic Cycle (parts of which are sometimes attributed to Homer), fragments of other epic poems attributed to Homer, The Battle of Frogs and Mice, and The Contest of Homer and Hesiod.

THIS VOLUME CONTAINS practically all that remains of the post-homeric and pre-academic epic poetry. I have for the most part formed my own text. In the case of Hesiod I have been able to use independent collations of several MSS. by Dr. W.H.D. Rouse; otherwise I have depended on the apparatus criticus of the several editions, especially that of Rzach (1902). The arrangement adopted in this edition, by which the complete and fragmentary poems are restored to the order in which they would probably have appeared had the Hesiodic corpus survived intact, is unusual, but should not need apology; the true place for the “Catalogues” (for example), fragmentary as they are, is certainly after the “Theogony.”

Of the fragments of the Epic Cycle I have given only such as seemed to possess distinct importance or interest, and in doing so have relied mostly upon Kinkel’s collection and on the fifth volume of the Oxford Homer (1912). The texts of the “Batrachomyomachia” and of the “Contest of Homer and Hesiod” are those of Baumeister and Flach respectively: where I have diverged from these, the fact has been noted.

NOTE: Greek words at times appear in ALL CAPS. In text notations are in red and surrounded by parentheses and hyperlinked to the corresponding section’s endnotes.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

Book: The Prose Edda Ver 1 by Snorri Sturlson

Translated by Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur [1916]

The Prose Edda is a text on Old Norse Poetics, written about 1200 by the Norwegian poet and politican Snorri Sturlson, who also wrote the Heimskringla. The Prose Edda contains a wide variety of lore which a Skald (poet) of the time would need to know. The text is of interest to modern readers because it contains consistent narratives of many of the plot lines of Norse mythology. Although Snorri was a Christian, he treated the ancient Pagan mythology with great respect. To this end, Snorri created a quasi-historical backstory for the Norse Gods. Hence the Prose Edda is of interest because it contains one of the first attempts to devise a rational explanation for mythological and legendary events. It is also notable because it contains fragments of a number of manusripts which Snorri had access to, but which are now lost.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze;
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform,
So young, so tall, so proud;
With hair cut square and eyes alert,
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought ... how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilot's planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers graves?
No ... Freedom is not Free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still;
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill;
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend;
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands ...
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington ...
No ... Freedom is not Free!